The Windows 95 Registry is susceptible to the same types of problems as the Windows NT Registry. The requirement for protection is just as great, but some of the tools are different. With no security settings available, the possibility of user error is also greater. Fortunately, there are several ways to protect the Windows 95 Registry, all of them associated with having extra copies in case of failure.
A tape backup program is included with Windows 95. It is an option to install if you choose "Custom" during the Windows 95 installation, or you can install it later with Add/Remove Programs from the Control Panel. Once you've installed the backup program, activate it with Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Backup. Upon startup, the program informs you that it will create a Full System Backup set for you, as shown in Figure 6.1.
Figure 6.1. Windows 95 Backup defaults to maximum protection.
The process shown in Figure 6.2 will create a file in the Accessories folder called Full System Backup.Set and it will tag, for backup, all the files on all the drives, plus the Registry. The backup file set will not be completed until all of the Registry is reviewed and the listing of all drives is completed.
The Full System Backup.Set is not automatically loaded at startup (after the very first time the software is run), even though the system tells you about it every time the software loads. If you want to use the Full System Backup.Set, you must open it with File | Open File Set.
Alternatively, you can choose just the drives, folders, and files that you would like to use. Select the drive letter, and the system will review the contents of the drive, as shown in Figure 6.3, and calculate the amount of tape space required to back up the files.
The next step is to choose the location where the backup will go. You have the choice of hard disk drives, floppy disks, or detected tape drives. If the system does not detect the presence of a tape drive, you will not be given that option. Many people also are using the new high capa-city removable drives, such as the ZIP and JAZ drives from Iomega or the Syquest 135MB drive. They make very good, fast backup devices. See Figure 6.4 for details of the drive selection.
After selecting the target location, you will be prompted for a label of the backup. (See Figure 6.5.) After you supply the label, the backup will begin streaming onto the target drive.
Figure 6.2. Activation of the backup set starts the copying of Registry files.
Figure 6.3. Select the drives to back up.
Figure 6.4. Select the device where the backup will be stored.
Figure 6.5. Supplying an appropriate label for the backup.
The Windows 95 Backup allows no specification settings for the tape drive. There is also no choice on compression. The filtering to choose the types of files to back up is pulled from the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, and the only options are to exclude all the types you do not want to back up. Also, the number and type of tape drives supported is quite limited. Obviously, there are better programs that allow more flexibility and choice. However, it is better to back up using a less-than-perfect solution than not at all.
Many tape drives come with their own software, or bundled with another company's backup software. Generally, these applications give better options than Windows 95 Backup.
SOLUTIONS: Why doesn't Microsoft create better utility software? Microsoft's goal is to create fabulous operating systems, desktop applications, and to rule the whole world of computers. Dominance in the utility market would seem to be a likely companion, but they choose not to produce cutting-edge utility products. Whether that is to remain friends with the FTC, or to take advantage of the other talent in the business, or to narrow their focus, I am not sure. But Microsoft has stated publicly that they are not going to play a dominant role in the utility business.
The biggest concern is that the software is Windows 95 software. Windows 95 software is unique in its management of files, long filenames, and writing data to the disk. If you try to use Windows 3.x or Windows NT software to drive your tape drive, it will fail miserably, and it may destroy all your data.
TIP: When evaluating backup software, look for a software package that also includes a DOS-based restoration program. Without that, you would have to reinstall Windows 95 before you could restore all of your data. With it, you may be able to restore all of your OS, applications, and data to a bare hard drive. As part of your disaster recovery preparation, create a diskette that has the correct software on it, and keep it in a safe and protected place.
When Windows 95 is running, the Registry files are locked from access except through a Registry editor or the system itself, and the files cannot be copied to another location. If you start Windows 95 in Safe Mode, the Registry does not get loaded in the same way, and SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT are available for copying. It is actually the files protected from the system in Safe Mode.
Enter Safe Mode by pressing F8 when the computer says Starting Windows 95... during boot-up. Change the attributes of SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT to change them from their hidden and read-only state to one where they can be seen and copied. After copying the Registry files, don't forget to change them back again to read-only and hidden.
Microsoft supplies Configuration Backup (commonly known as CFGBACK) with Windows 95 as an alternative backup source for the Registry. With CFGBACK, you back up only the Registry, not any of the other files on the system. The benefit of using CFGBACK is the opportunity to create historical backups and choose any of them to restore.
CFGBACK.EXE is not normally installed with Windows 95. It is not even on the installation diskettes, just on the CD-ROM, in the \Other\Misc\CFGBACK directory. Copy all the files to any directory on the system, and then create a shortcut to CFGBACK.EXE on the desktop. If you create the shortcut in the \Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\System Tools, it will show up in the menu for you.
To create a backup of the Registry, start CFGBACK and supply a unique name in the Selected Backup Name slot, as shown in Figure 6.6, and click Backup to continue.
Figure 6.6. Enter the name of the Registry backup.
WARNING: Make sure you have closed all programs prior to using CFGBACK. If there are applications open, the use of CFGBACK may cause the system to crash, data to be lost, and an incomplete backup to be stored.
You may create up to nine copies of the Registry with CFGBACK. If you want to replace one of the currently saved Registries, highlight it in the List of Previous Backups, and click Backup. It will create a new copy over the old one, keeping the same name. It is not necessary to delete the old file first.
Another alternative to a standard backup is the option in REGEDIT.EXE to export the Registry to text. Normally used as a comparison tool, the Export option can also be used as a way to preserve and protect the Registry information.
To export any key in the Registry, highlight the key and select Registry | Export Registry File. It will copy the key, prompt you for the name and location to store the file, and save the data there with a .REG extension. Figure 6.7 shows the Export Registry File dialog box, with an option at the bottom to include the entire Registry. Select that, and all the Registry will be saved to the hard disk drive.
Figure 6.7. Export the Registry to a text file.
Once the
file is exported, you can read the contents with any text editor, as shown
in Figure 6.8.
Figure 6.8. The contents of the exported Registry.
WARNING: When you want to look at the contents of an exported Registry (with a .REG extension), do not double-click on the file. The .REG extension is associated with REGEDIT.EXE, and will automatically import the data into the Registry without waiting for confirmation. If it is not the correct data, it can be devastating to the Registry. To edit the file, highlight it, and then right-click and choose Edit.
Whichever way you choose to back up the Registry, just do it. It is too fragile to take chances with, and good management sense dictates that you have several copies of the Registry on hand in case of emergency.
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